


Magnetism

by MelodramaticSalad



Series: Sterek Week 2017 [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Claudia Stilinski, Alive Hale Family, Alternate Hale Fire, Bonding, Claiming Bites, Emissary Stiles Stilinski, Emissary in Training Stiles Stilinski, Hale Fire Survivors, Hurt Derek, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Road Trips, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Sterek Week 2017, Veterinary Clinic, Wolf Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 10:02:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12504872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodramaticSalad/pseuds/MelodramaticSalad
Summary: Stiles Stilinski always noticed he had an animal magnetism to him ever since he was a child. He'd discovered that he could soothe animals with his touch and the sound of his voice and it came in handy. One day, when an injured werewolf is brought to the clinic his mother runs, Stiles is eager to help the werewolf in any way that he can. When he does, he ends up getting more than he bargained for, but he still does everything he can to help.Written for Day One of Sterek Week: Emissary and Alpha themed!





	Magnetism

The bond between druids and werewolf packs was a story that had been told since the beginning. The companionship doubled as a blessing and as a curse. The bond strengthened their druid's powers when they were chosen as an emissary, but it also left a massive mark on their soul if anything happened to their bonded pack mates.

Stiles Stilinski always noticed he had an animal magnetism to him ever since he was a child. He'd discovered that he could soothe animals with his touch and the sound of his voice and it came in handy.

His mother ran an animal rehabilitation center outside of Beacon Hills and Stiles had grown up with animals and learning how to care for them. Being the son of a veterinarian helped, but being the child of a powerful Druid was even greater.

Both his mother and Deaton, the veterinarian she partnered with, we're both skilled in the art of magic and taught Stiles everything he knew as they grew up together.

It was only natural that Stiles spent most of his days working on the reserve with his best friend, Scott.

During a late night shift of taking care of the animals they currently were keeping track of, he heard the door open and shut hard in the distance. "Stiles?" His mother called. The distress in her voice quickly caused him to worry and he finished feeding their three legged fox so he could go see what's wrong.

"I'm here, what's wrong?" Stiles asked, rubbing his hands as he headed down the hall.

"I need your help. Deaton's preparing for surgery but I need your help getting him in."

"Him? What do we have this time?" Stiles asked as he followed his mother outside. 

In the back of their van he could hear the sounds of something slamming weakly against the walls every now and again.

"They tried sedating him, but it didn't work. We'll see if you can help out before we try anything else. He's a wolf."

Stiles pursed his lips together. "There are no wolves in California. Just the occasional werewolf." He'd stated. Sure, his best friend was a bitten werewolf but the only thing he could do was shift his face and fangs. He couldn't fully shift.

Claudia nodded and looked to Stiles. "Alright, we're going to get him in now, are you ready?"

Stiles nodded and looked to the doors. "Ready."

His mother pulled open one of the doors and Stiles stepped right up, hands raised in front of his chest and trying to signal he wasn't a threat. The wolf in the van was as black as the night sky, his eyes glowing vivid blue as he swayed on his feet. He snarled at Stiles and Stiles realized black liquid was dripping from his mouth. Oh, that wasn't good at all.

The wolf had gotten the liquid all over the back of the van in his disoriented state, obviously terrified from being captured. "Hey, hey. It's okay. We're not going to hurt you, we're going to help you." He whispered in a soothing voice, focusing on the wolf's eyes and keeping eye contact with him.

The wolf growled in response and stepped closer as he tried to make himself appear bigger. Stiles could see the limp in his step and the way he tried to hide it.

"There's a break in his right hind leg." Stiles told his mom, not taking his eyes off of the wolf.

"He's been shot too, our biggest concern will be getting the bullet out of his side." Stiles nodded.

"We just want to help you, will that be okay?" He asked the wolf, knowing full well he could understand.

The wolf looked between Stiles and his mother, focusing on their beating hearts and their scents. Their words didn't sound like lies and they didn't have the sour scent of someone with dark intentions. He stepped closer to Stiles but no longer tried to growl or snap at him.

Stiles sighed in relief and gently reached out to scratch behind his ear gently. "Alright, I'm going to lift you and it's going to hurt. I'm going to do what I can to make it as minimal as possible."

He heard the light squeaking of their stretcher when his mom pulled it up and in slow movements slid his arm around the wolf's middle.

He got a good grip on him and avoided pressing on any of his wounds as best as he could once he lifted him up. When he set him down, the bad leg must have shifted wrong because the wolf let out a help of pain and lunged forwards. White hot pain shocked Stiles' senses and he let out of cry of pain when the wolf's fangs sank into the flesh of his forearm.

The wolf quickly pulled away in shock and Stiles raised his hand to his mom. "Don't sedate him, it's okay, he didn't mean to." He said in a calm voice, lowering his hand so he could apply pressure to the bite.

Claudia sighed and looked at the wolf, noting the confusion and terror in his eyes. She reached out and gently scratched his ears, trying to help him feel better. "It's okay, we're going to get you the help you need." The poor thing was so disoriented that he likely didn't even know where he was.

Stiles let go of his wound so he could push the stretcher and take him to the operating room so they could help Deaton with whatever he needed.

Deaton had just finished preparations and met them at the door so he could pull it open. "Stiles, I'm going to need you on this one. We're going to have to keep him conscious because in his current state, it might be too dangerous for him to go under."

Stiles nodded in agreement at his words. "What do you need me to do?" He asked, rubbing the wolf's neck and feeling him tremble beneath his touch.

"I need you to keep him focused. He won't be in any pain, but he'll need to stay still."

Stiles nodded and moved to sit in front of the wolf so he face was almost level with his. Outsiders would call Stiles an idiot for sitting with his throat bare and in biting distance of an injured wolf, but Stiles knew what he was doing.

"Hey." He murmured, brushing his fingers over the soft fur on the wolf's cheek, giving him a small smile. He distracted him and kept him busy so Deaton could give him shots to numb the area and wait for it to take effect. "You're doing so good, you'll be feeling a lot better soon, I just know it."

The occasional whimper from the wolf tugged at his heart and made him wonder further what had happened to him. The trauma was enough to keep him in his wolf form and Stiles knew the cause for that could either be physical or emotional. It was needless to say that the creature was suffering both of those things.

Stiles let his mom and Deaton focus on the wolf completely, using his jacket sleeve as a temporary bandage for the bite on his arm. "What are we going to do for the black stuff?" Stiles asked when Deaton finally was able to work on his arm. Stiles kept his gaze on the wolf’s face while Deaton put in stitches.

Despite growing up around many surgeries and treatments, needles made Stiles dizzy. Just the thought of them going into his skin made his mind sway.

"We're going to use a small spell to start clearing what's in his blood and boosting his healing factor. He's been introduced to wolfsbane based on his disorientation and the drooling, so the spell will help him expel it little by little. A normal spell would have it start coming out at once and it would be too much for him. Someone will need to stay with him all night though. We'll let you go him once I'm finished with this."

Stiles shook his head and stared at the splint that they had put on the wolf's broken leg so they could prevent the bones from healing wrong and causing further problems. "I'll stay with him. He trusts me."

"That's fine, just be forewarned that he may likely be more volatile once his mind clears."

"I understand. I'd be the same way if I was in his position. I wonder what his name is."

_"Derek."_ Stiles tensed at the voice in his head.

"Stiles, relax your arm." Deaton piped up.

"You didn't hear that?" Stiles asked incredulously.

Deaton glanced up at Stiles before shaking his head. Stiles looked back over at the wolf and saw his ear flick up in attention. "Was that you?"

_"You heard that?"_ The voice sounded exhausted.

Stiles nodded and didn't stop staring at the wolf. Maybe he was going crazy. "His name is Derek."

"He told you that?"

"I can hear his voice in my head apparently." Deaton frowned at his words and glanced back at the wolf before looking to Stiles again. "How strange. I'll have to let your mother know."

"Is that not a normal occurrence or something?" Stiles asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's extremely rare. Is this the first time you've ever had mental communication with someone?"

"As far as I'm aware, yeah." Stiles stated.

Deaton was quiet as he finished the final stitch and bandaged the wound. "We'll discuss it further in the morning. For now, it might be best if you take Derek and get some rest."

Stiles nodded and pulled his jacket back on so he could put a blanket on top of the stretcher and transfer Derek to it. He waited for Deaton to take care of the spell before he'd bother with moving him. He warned Stiles that he'd most likely drool out what wasn't purified in the spell so it would be best to keep some towels on hand.

Derek was more relaxed this time, probably due to the exhaustion. Instead of one of the pens they would usually use, Stiles headed right to the break room.

He kept a mattress in the corner of the room when he'd have overnight shifts and be too tired to drive home, or when he just wanted a nap. Once he was close enough, he lowered the stretcher so he could gently pull the blanket and drag Derek onto the mattress without shifting him too much.

Stiles sat down beside Derek and smiled when Derek put his head on his lap. He scratched behind his ears on an attempt to comfort him as he kept him relaxed.

 

Stiles didn't realize he had fallen asleep until he woke up with a sore neck and back. With a sigh, he stretched out his arms and legs before pausing at a low growl.

_"Stop moving."_ Stiles stopped and looked down at his lap. The wolf - Derek, whoops, stared up at him, an annoyed look in his eyes.

"Sorry." Stiles murmured, rubbing his back. "How are you feeling?"

Derek flopped his head down on Stiles' lap and didn't give an answer.

"As a medical expert, it would probably be best if you let me know you were okay."

_"It doesn't hurt."_

"Good, but just in case..." Stiles trailed off and focused on energy into his left hand. He felt it warm as he focused more until finally a ball of light appeared over his hand. He turned his palm down and pressed it against Derek's side. Derek relaxed at the touch and looked up to Stiles.

_"You have magic."_ He stated, seeming to confirm it to himself.

Stiles confirmed his words with a nod and smiled. "It might be why you're responding well to me. I can calm people and animals with my voice. Does it help?"

Derek let out a noncommittal noise and closed his eyes so he could try to sleep again. Stiles let him sleep, stroking his fur and humming softly. Derek was only out for a few minutes before he jolted and snapped his jaws in his sleep. Thankfully this time it wasn't near any part of Stiles' body.

"Hey, hey, I'm here, it's okay!" Stiles said quickly, trying to keep him from moving way too much. Ripping his stitches is the last thing that Derek would need.

As Stiles struggled to still his thrashing, he tried to focus more on him and help wake him. His eyes widened when images and emotions started flashing in his mind.

_Fire, burning hot. So much smoke, too hot, can't see. Where? Where's Mom? Where is everyone?_ He could hear Derek's jumbled thoughts echoing over each other as he felt everything that Derek had felt. He screamed for someone, his body feeling hot and his mind feeling clouded. He could see a fire, flames growing higher as he navigated the house.

The house grew hotter and hotter, and then suddenly...It was silent. It was cold. He was alone in the dark. When he moved, leaves crunched beneath his feet and he could feel the cold mud beneath them. He was scared. He wasn't safe. Where was his family? Was he alone? He couldn't find anyone. He had started running when he got out. Something screamed at every instinct to run south. Something was south. Something was waiting for him.

He heard a twig snap in the distance and his heart pounded. They found him. This was bad. Run. Run. He started to run as fast as he could through the forest, dodging trees. Once he finally stopped, he waited and listened.

No birds, just wind. Silence. Was someone there? Did he lose them? Maybe he was free. A sharp pain shot through his side and knocked him off his feet. He'd been shot. He was falling. Rolling down a hill. Pain throbbing with each hit. And then finally, a snapping sound echoed in his ears.

 

Stiles jerked his hand away in shock, panting from the multiple sensations that had run through his mind. "Oh fuck." He whispered. He felt dizzy and sick to his stomach. Derek was no longer thrashing but was shaking in his sleep now. Stiles sighed and leaned forwards until his face was buried in Derek's fur.

His mother arrived a few hours later, checking in on them before she started her daily duties. Stiles was still in the break room with Derek, but since Derek woke up, Stiles was able to get some food made.

Derek at least ate, so that was a good sign. He wasn't drooling black stuff anymore either, which meant that the spell Deaton used must have worked.

Stiles sat down by Derek again to give him a sense of comfort. "Can you tell me what happened? I...I saw some of it when you were having a nightmare."

Derek raised his head and stared at Stiles, an unreadable look in his eyes. _Someone burned my family's house down. Hunters._ Derek growled and lowered his head before he continued. _They attacked us because of what we are and now I can't find my family._ Derek's anger faded and Stiles could see sorrow appear in his eyes.

Stiles bit at his lip and carded his fingers over Derek's fur. "What if I helped you find them?"

_How?_ Derek asked in a skeptical voice. _I couldn't track their scent, so how could you expect to find them?_

Stiles shrugged a little. He didn't mind Derek's skepticism, it was completely understandable.

"Sometimes it's better to have someone helping you." He shrugged.

Derek shifted a little before focusing on Stiles' wrist arm. He stared at the bandage and thought about everything. He had bitten Stiles hard enough that his mouth had filled with blood, and without hesitation Stiles had continued to comfort him. Stiles hadn't asked for anything in return and was still offering to help Derek. Maybe he could trust him. 

Despite everything that had gone wrong, every single instinct was telling him that he could trust Stiles and that it would be okay. He just still couldn't figure out why he had run mile after mile to end up here.

Derek soon gave a nod and closed his eyes. _"I'll let you help."_

Stiles smiled a little and got to his feet. "I'm going to grab my books real fast so I can see if I can find anything that can help that way."

Derek didn't respond that time, so Stiles left him alone to sleep.

Stiles holed up in the office and flipped through one of his spell books to see if there was anything useful in it. He glanced up when the door opened and gave Deaton a wave. "Hey."

"Good morning, Stiles. I was just getting ready to check on you. How is your arm?"

Stiles rolled his sleeve up and shrugged. "It actually hasn't hurt at all."

Deaton raised his eyebrows and motioned for Stiles to hold his arm out. Once Stiles did, he unraveled the bandages and pulled off the gauze.

Stiles stared in shock when he saw that the stitches were gone and the wound had scarred over. "Wait, you for sure gave me stitches last night, right? I'm not just imagining it?"

Deaton stared at Stiles' wrist before furrowing his eyebrows. "I need to check in with Derek."

Stiles shut his book and followed him, crouching down beside Derek to get his attention. "Hey, Derek. We just need to check something."

Derek opened his eyes and looked up with a quizzical expression in his eyes. _"What's the matter?"_

"I'm not sure, Deaton just wants to be sure. Whatever it is, we'll take care of it."

Deaton checked Derek's side and looked up to Stiles, the confused expression still on his face. "The bullet wound is healed. Both are you are healing incredibly fast."

"So, what exactly does that mean?" Stiles asked with a frown.

"Well, you said you could hear him, right? Hear a voice?"

"Yeah, I can talk to Derek that way. Or well, he talks to me that way."

"Is there anything else strange that either of you can think of?"

"When I was trying to soothe Derek during a night terror, I saw everything that had happened to him. His family was attacked by hunters and they burned the house down with his family inside."

Deaton nodded at that. "We at least can be sure that there were survivors, otherwise his eyes would be red. It’s not much of a secret that Derek Hale has been chosen as a successor to the Hale family, but it hasn’t happened yet.”

"That's very true. I promised him that I would help him find his family."

"Based on some of the things I've been hearing and seeing, it's leading me to believe that you are supposed to be Derek’s."

Stiles raised his eyebrows. "His Emissary? Does this sort of thing usually happen when an emissary is chosen?"

"It's rare but possible. In the cases of it happening, the bond is much stronger. Both parties heal faster, they're stronger, and they're at their best when they work together. There is always a pull in the werewolf that pulls them to their chosen."

Derek tensed at Deaton's words, catching Stiles' attention. "What's the matter?" Stiles asked, focusing on him.

_"I felt like I needed to come here. I thought that maybe I would find my family."_

Stiles furrowed his eyebrows at the words. "Do you still feel it?"

Derek shook his head. _"I passed out when your mother found me, and the pull woke me up when it started again. I thought that I'd found my family and then it was you that opened the door. That's when it stopped."_

Stiles couldn't help but feel a little guilty at that part. It was hard enough on Derek to be suffering so much and it didn't make anything easier to end up potentially farther away from his family over a wrong lead. If he hadn't already wanted to help Derek, he sure as hell would be agreeing to now.

"So, with the whole Emissary thing, isn't there supposed to be a marking thing to make it official? An initiation to the pack?"

Deaton shook his head and smiled, pointing to Stiles' arm. "It was an accident, but Derek has already left a mark on you."

Stiles looked at the scarring and then back to Derek. "You accidentally claimed me." He stated.

Derek flicked his ears in a way that clearly meant 'whoops'. Stiles snorted a little and rubbed the back of his neck. "What about his leg, should we take the splint off?"

"No. I don't want to risk it for at least another day if we can help it. If his bones fuse incorrectly, it will affect him permanently."

Stiles nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll make sure he avoids walking on it at all costs."

"Thank you. I need to get started on my work, so I'll let you get back to researching." 

Stiles hummed out a response and scratched behind Derek's ear. "Thanks, Deaton. I'll let you know if I need anymore help."

"That will be fine. I should be in this area for most of the day."

Stiles gave his attention to Derek again and smiled. "I'm going to bring my books in here so we can hang out while you rest. "How does that sound?"

Stiles was pretty sure he shrugged, causing him to snort out a laugh. “Okay, I’ll be back.”

Stiles returned with his books shortly and sat down beside Derek again once he’d had them. He flipped through the pages, trying to find anything that would stand out. “So, you’re in line to become the next alpha?”

Derek’s ears flicked back. _”It was meant to be my sister, but she decided that she didn’t want to be it anymore. There were a lot of talks, and then I ended up becoming the successor.”_

Stiles nodded, resting a hand on Derek’s back so he could gently run his fingers through the dark fur. “I bet that was a big change.”

_”I assume it’s like finding out that you’re becoming an emissary.”_

Stiles shrugged when Derek looked up at him. “I came into my magic when I was young. I didn’t really understand it at first, but I knew I was a little different. My mom explained it to me as I got older, so I always knew I would be helping people with my magic. Thats different than waking up one day and realizing you’re going to be the next alpha. What do you think about it?”

Derek shrugged and turned his head away from Stiles. Stiles didn’t push him into answering and instead continued rubbing his back.

In his second to last book on the pile, Stiles finally found a tracking spell. He read it over a couple times before he nodded to himself. “I think I have it.” He spoke up, getting to his feet and heading off to get the ingredients.

Derek watched as he would come in and out of the room, carrying bowls of different items.

Once Stiles had everything, he grabbed a map and sat down beside the mattress on the floor. He rested the book on his lap as he began mixing ingredients, using a mortar and pestle to ground up a couple herbs into a fine powder before he’d dump them into a larger bowl. Once he was finished, he’d made a gray paste in the larger bowl. With a brush, he painted runes on his forearms before he looked up to Derek. “I’m just going to paint one on your forehead. It’ll come out of your fur, easily, I think.”

Derek huffed softly and Stiles could tell he would be rolling his eyes if he could. _”Fine.”_ Stiles smiled wider and painted the rune on Derek’s forehead before he set the brush and the bowls aside.

“Okay, I’m going to need you to focus. Think of your family. Think of the bond you have as a pack, the thing that ties you all together.” Stiles explained as he grabbed the map and a marker. He unfolded the map out in front of them and opened the marker before he closed his eyes and began softly whispering a chant.

He felt the runes on his arm start to warm up and the warm glow he’d felt when he’d use magic hum in his chest. He continued to focus and repeat the words, allowing images come into his mind. Stiles could see trees, he could see a trail. He felt like he was rushing through the woods, following the path set before him. He came upon a house, and inside the house he could see a family. They looked exhausted but most of all, they looked scared. Stiles felt his arm move as he tried to focus more on the family. They were speaking, but their voices sounded distorted, as if Stiles was underwater. The images faded as he tried to clear his mind and figure out what they were saying. He heard Derek whining softly.

Stiles opened his eyes again and looked Derek. He could see the longing in his eyes, mixed with the sorrow he must have felt. “Was that them?”

Derek nodded. _”They made it out.”_ His voice sounded so relieved. Stiles could only imagine how terrifying it was, not knowing whether or not your family was alive.

Stiles offered him a smile before he looked down at the map. “I can take you to them. I think I know where they are now.” He said softly, brushing his fingers against where he had circled around Washington on the map.

_”You don’t have to do this for me.”_

“I’m invested in this, besides, I’m your Emissary now, remember?” Derek looked guilty.

_”I’m sorry for biting you.”_

Stiles shrugged and folded up the map. “Don’t be sorry. I was curious whether or not I’d find a pack of my own anyways. I’ll pack for us and I can get us on the road soon? I figure you’ll want to see them right away, right?” Derek nodded and Stiles left to go home and pack.

 

Stiles returned again a few hours later, having packed a cooler of drinks and food, a couple backpacks worth of clothes. He even packed some stuff for Derek, in case he shifted back to his human form. Stiles had no idea what he looked like as a human, but if it came down to it, he could go to a store and get more clothes along the way.

Once Deaton finished an examination of Derek’s leg and deemed it safe enough, he helped load Derek into the back seat of Stiles’ car. A few minutes after that, the two of them were on the road in one of the vans. Of course his own car had to be in the shop at a time like this.

Derek didn’t talk much most of the way, but Stiles mostly filled the silence with quiet music and let Derek sleep. He needed to finish healing anyways.

Stiles left the runes on his skin for the duration of the drive, using them as a sort of compass. He could feel something tugging at him, urging him to continue moving forwards.

“Hey.” Stiles glanced up and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw hazel-green eyes looking back at him in the rear view mirror. He swerved in surprise and was thankful that no one else was on the road.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Stiles exclaimed, earning a roll of Derek’s eyes.

“You packed clothes right?” Derek asked, completely moving past Stiles’ surprised reaction.

“Yeah, they’re in the blue back pack. Let me know if they don’t fit.”

He heard Derek rummaging through the bag and pulling stuff out, examining the sizes before he would toss it aside. Eventually he found clothes that would fit and pulled them on. “Pull over.” Derek spoke again once he had finished dressing.

“Do you need to go to the bathroom? Or do you feel sick?”

“Neither. I want to sit up front.” Ah, makes sense.

Stiles pulled over and unlocked the doors so Derek could get out and get in the passenger’s seat. Stiles took the chance to look Derek over, now that he could finally see what he really looked like. Wow, Derek really was an attractive guy, he really felt blessed to have been claimed by him.

“I can almost smell what’s on your mind.” Derek stated, raising an eyebrow as he looked over at Stiles.

Stiles’ eyes widened a little in surprise. Oh shit. Right. “Uh. Sorry.”

Derek rolled his eyes again and shook his head, motioning towards the steering wheel. “We can go now.”

Stiles nodded quickly and focused on driving again. Anything so he didn’t have to think about the awkwardness between them at the moment.

“If you get tired, I can drive for a while.” Derek spoke up after a while.

“I’m not tired.” Stiles said, but quickly contradicted himself by yawning. Derek shot him a look, raising his eyebrows again.

“I don’t want you pushing yourself, just for my sake.” He stated.

Stiles sighed softly and nodded. “Right.” He pulled over again and climbed out of the car so he and Derek could change seats. Stiles reclined his seat a little and watched the road ahead of them.

“It’s been years since I’ve been on a road trip. I was a little kid the last time we went on a long one. I remember I’d have problems sitting still for a long time, so my mom and dad would make up some games to keep me busy and focused on the road. There was one where we would each pick a color, and the person that saw the most cars of their chosen color would get to pick dinner that night.”

Derek nodded slowly. “I know how that is, we did stuff like that too. When I was ten, we went on a road trip to the east coast. Laura was a teenager, but Cora was still just a toddler, so it was hard trying to keep everyone happy at the same time.”

Stiles nodded slowly as he closed his eyes and listened to Derek. “I remember falling asleep in cars and waking up to my dad carrying me to bed. I think the saddest times were when I got too big to carry.” He joked.

Derek chuckled. “I know what you mean. Sometimes it was easier just being a kid.”

Stiles hummed in agreement. “Damn right.” He murmured. He fell asleep not too long after that.

 

Stiles woke up to someone unbuckling his seatbelt. “What are you doing?” He asked groggily, rubbing at his eyes.

“I was trying to carry you to bed.”

Stiles frowned and peeked open an eye. “What?”

Derek sighed and leaned against the open passenger’s door. “It’s really late, I’m stopping for the night. There were blankets and pillows in the back of the van, so I made a bed. I thought you would be really stiff if you stayed up here.”

Stiles had to take a second to process his words as he woke up a little more. “Oh. Yeah, that sounds great.” He climbed out of the car and shut the door behind him before he followed Derek to the back of the car. Derek really had set it up. He had set the backpacks against the back seat so he could prop the pillows up against them and had laid out the sleeping bags and blankets that had been left behind from a camping trip Stiles and Scott had gone on a few months back.

“This looks really nice.” Stiles noted as he climbed in and made himself comfortable. 

Derek followed behind him and shut the doors before he leaned back against the pillows and got situated. “This is more comfortable that sleeping in the seat.”

Stiles nodded in agreement and closed his eyes, scooting a little closer to Derek so he could enjoy the warmth he gave off. Derek watched him move closer and wrapped his arm around him to keep him close.

Stiles peeked open an eye and smiled. “Sorry, you’re just warm.”

Derek shrugged and closed his eyes. “I get it, my sisters love cuddling up against me too. I think it’s a pack thing.”

Stiles smiled wider and raised his eyebrows. “I’m pack?”

Derek sighed and opened his eyes. “I think with everything you’re doing for me, it should go without saying that you’re earning a big place in my pack.”

Stiles laughed lightly and nodded, looking at the near crescent shaped scar on his forearm. It was hard to believe that the scar was only a day old. “Yeah, I guess so. I’m glad you’re accepting me.”

Derek shrugged as he closed his eyes again. “Like I said, you’ve done a lot.”

Stiles nodded and rested his head on his chest before he closed his eyes again.

 

In the morning, Derek woke Stiles up again and they were back on the road in little time. They made it to their destination late in the afternoon, when the sky was becoming a medley of reds, oranges, and yellows. Stiles stopped in front of the house and followed Derek out of the car and up the dirt driveway. Derek was sniffing nervously at the air, trying to reassure himself that everything was okay. Stiles stayed a couple feet behind him, keeping an eye out for any sign of life.

The front door opened and a young woman, a couple years older than Derek, came out. She grinned when she saw him and rushed down the steps so she could wrap him in her arms and kiss his cheek. “We’ve been so worried about you! Are you okay? Were you hurt?”

Stiles watched as the rest of Derek’s family exited the house, two men, a woman, and a girl the same age as Stiles. By the looks of it, they had all survived. The family took turns hugging Derek and asking him questions, before finally Derek’s mother noticed Stiles.

“You must be the young man that helped my son?”

Stiles nodded and smiled at her. “Yeah, my mom found him in the woods and we helped him out. Hunters had attacked him, so we wanted to make sure that he was taken care of.”

Talia smiled and nodded, walking over to him and taking Stiles into a tight hug. “Thank you so much. We’re all so thankful that you’ve brought him home. We were so scared that something had happened to him.” She pulled away and had a pained expression on her face as she looked back at Derek. “When we got separated, we had no idea where you could have gone. We tried to look, but we couldn’t find you anywhere. We were getting ready to go back.”

Derek shook his head. “It’s okay. I’m glad that you all made it out okay. Things were bad there, I didn’t know if anyone else made it out.”

“I’m glad you were at least able to find help. You were injured?” Derek’s father asked.

Derek nodded and looked to Stiles as he answered. “I was, but I’m fine now. Stiles has stayed by my side this whole time. There’s also something else too, we believe that Stiles is my Emissary.”

All eyes were on Stiles at that moment. Stiles shifted uncomfortably, scratching at the back of his neck. “Yeah, Derek kind of marked me as his, so one thing led to another and I’m his Emissary.”

“You marked him?” Laura asked, laughing as she playfully nudged her brother. “Way to go.”

Derek looked flustered as he crossed his arms over his chest. “It was an accident, but yeah. Stiles had proven himself as an emissary, so when I think the time comes, I want him to be my advisor.”

“That sounds perfect to me. I’m glad that you found one of your own that you trust. We can discuss this more over dinner, we should head inside before it gets cold.”

Derek watched his family head inside and looked back to see Stiles heading towards the van again. “Where are you going?”

Stiles paused and looked back to him. “Well, I wasn’t sure if you wanted some time alone with your family. Do you want me to stay?”

Derek nodded and offered his hand out to Stiles. “Stay.” He said softly. Stiles smiled wider and walked over to him before taking his hand.

“Okay, I will.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Accompanying graphic [HERE!](http://melodramaticsalad.tumblr.com/post/166804172373)


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